M-Minus 17 - 2 July 16

It has been six months since we received our call to serve in the Kiev Ukraine mission. Our

friends have gone from "How long before you leave?" to "You still here?". We are definitely ready

to roll.

There have been pluses and minuses to the long advance notice, but the pluses outweigh the

minuses. Leaving home comes right on the heels of Andy's retirement from BYU. That took some

getting used to. A favorite cartoon shows a man entering his door and calling out to his startled

wife, "Honey, I'm officially retired. Now we can start enjoying each other's company all day, every

day!". The subtitle of the cartoon reads, "The World's Shortest Retirement". Spending more time

together than in the past takes some adjustment, so the longer lead time has been useful in that

way.

There have been more arrangements than we ever expected, which a shorter advance notice

would have made difficult. If you take anything stronger then aspirin, the arrangements for

obtaining an 18-month supply are complicated. For starters, you can't get all 18 months at once.

The visa and passport arrangements took some time. Arranging mail, bill payment, and home

maintenance took a lot of Marsha's time.

Another benefit of longer advance notice has been the chance to study not only the Russian

language but the fascinating culture and history of the Ukraine. In the West our views center on

our own part of the world and our very young (in comparison) nation. In contrast, the history of

the Ukraine goes back, back, and back, disappearing into a dim past inhabited by characters

and societies that captivate the imagination. Conquering armies have swept across the land and

its constantly-shifting borders, each one leaving behind its unique residue of customs, values,

and world views. A blend of all of these is what makes up the Ukraine today.

We can't wait to see the real thing now. Besides, our friends are beginning to wonder if we really intend to go.

M-Minus 33 - 15 June 16

As we prepare for international travel, Marsha and I have occasion to recall that we first met on a tour of Europe in the summer of 1967. Marsha was a dancer in the BYU Folk Dancers and had been selected for the tour. 

Andy was convinced by a banjo-playing friend, John Simmons, to try out for the live western band that would play for the dancers. After some resistance, he tried out and was signed up. (I think they were desperate at that point.) If you can believe it, the whole cost of the tour to us was $1,000 each.

The tour wound its way through Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, England, Ireland, and Scotland. We saw what were then to us wonders - famous places we had read about but never imagined we would see. We performed American dances from the Contra to the Jitterbug.

We had wonderful leaders like Mary Bee Jensen, Roy (m’boy) Jensen, and Dr. and Sister Crofts. We had Ken, an Indian dancer, who fascinated Europeans with hoop and snake dances. On one occasion the snakes escaped from their bag as we were riding on the bus. You never saw people move so fast as piling off the bus. Once we stopped in Holland to scour a wetland for fresh frogs to feed the snakes. 

The best memories were made when we met and got to know people.

It was a great way to spend a summer.

We anticipate many new and funny, and maybe trying experiences in the Ukraine. But here we go - on the road again. 

M-Minus 43 - 5 June 16

It's official! We have tickets. We report to the Missionary Training Center in Provo on 18 July and fly on 25 July, just one week later. Because we are close to the MTC, we can commute and return home in the evenings.

It seems like forever since we first decided to serve and received our call two months later. On the one hand, there has scarcely been enough time to cut the red tape connected with passports, visas, filling forms, and planning a departure. Marsha has been masterful and patient at doing this, which is her forte.

On the other, it is hard to remember all of those things happening, because our report date came so far after the call--six and a half months. We feel like we have been preparing and making lists forever. In the final analysis, the timing is probably just about right, but we are ready to get going.

We decided to learn Russian on the advice of our Mission President. This began with acquiring a boatload of self-study materials: books...

...web URLs...

 ...audio CDs...

...and even Russian radio station URLs. (They talk really fast.)


The MTC has also provided tutoring opportunities with some of the greatest and most helpful young people. We spend a few hours each week practicing our Russian on them. They have the patience of Job, all of them. How many times can rookies like us mispronounce "хорошо" and still draw a smile from the face on the other side of the Skype screen? It turns out, seventy times seven.

We have read reports from couples already in the field, exchanged emails, and had phone calls across several time zones. We are excited to meet the kind and helpful people we have met over the distance. But in the meantime, we will concentrate on learning how to pronounce "свидетедьствовать" and "Перевоначальное общество".

M-Minus 53 - 26 May 16

The Kiev Ukraine temple is one of many symbols in a country filled with monuments to the strength of the human will and its aspirations. It is a beautiful building that we hope to visit, in a country that so far we have only seen in pictures.

We have been told so many wonderful things about the Ukraine. We have met so many who have been there or who are there now who give glowing descriptions of the people, of the beauty of the land, and of the rich cultural heritage.

For now, the task is language learning. Marsha and I are knee-deep in noun and adjective cases, noun genders, verb conjugations, aspects, tenses, prepositions, and pronouns. Right now the question is, Will we ever touch bottom? As rich as the language is, we think not, and we hope not. We are off on an exciting exploration in expression.